Fosamax - Once Weekly Dose Is Effective     Fosamax (Alendronate sodium) administered as a 70 mg tablet once a week has been demonstrated to be as effective as a 10 mg tablet taken daily in the treatment of post menopausal osteoporosis. The study included more than 1,000 women between the ages of 40 and 90 with osteoporosis and was done at several medical centers.     In addition, the women were given calcium and Vitamin D supplements which, of course, is also recommended practice in the treatment of osteoporosis.     Increase in bone mineral density was studied in the spine and the hip and was found to be statistically equivalent, whether the woman took 10 mg of Fosamax on a daily basis or 70 mg once per week.     The medication taken once weekly seems to be tolerated well by women in the study and the convenience, of course, in taking Fosamax once per week rather than on a daily basis is immediately obvious.     In the treatment of something as serious as osteoporosis, patient compliance in taking the medication regularly is of crucial importance.     The comparative cost of Fosamax 10 mg taken daily or 70 mg taken once per week is the same.     Addendum   A recent article in the Journal of Bone and Mineral Research studied 1,258 women using a once weekly dose of Alendronate or Fosamax, which is the trade name.     The article pointed out that the mineral density of the spine increased 6.8% during the period of the study.     The instance of side effects was similar in those taking the medication on a daily basis or twice per week.     We are beginning to have very substantial evidence of the effectiveness of Fosamax in increasing bone mineral density in the spine and certainly in other areas as well.     As the bone mineral density increases in women with osteoporosis there will be a major reduction in vertebral compression fractures, hip fractures, and wrist fractures.